Let it snow: Happy kids and frustrated commuters in southern Germany

On Tuesday morning, travelers at Munich ariport had to be extra patient. Due to sleet and ice on the runways, all incoming and outgoing flights were suspended until midday. Lufthansa has warned that delays could last even longer. Air traffic had just resumed after heavy snowfall over the weekend had grounded flights on Saturday.

On its website, the Munich airport said that "[t]he flight schedule is severely reduced due to the extreme weather conditions." During the first half of the day, as flights were grounded, workers set about removing ice from the airfield. However, the airport also wrote that "[t]here are still severe restrictions to air traffic." It's estimated that 300 of the 770 flights planned are affected.

This image shows workers from the Munich transportation association (MVG) checking the overhead tram wires for any potential damage. Heavy snowfall and ice have brought transportation in Munich and southern Bavaria to its knees.

On one of Munich's main arterial thoroughfares, cars barely managed creeping above a snail's pace during rush hour. In the coming nights, the German Weather Service (DWD) expects freezing rain to cause ice on the roads in southern and eastern Bavaria. "This will continue to be an issue in the coming days," a DWD meteorologist said on Tuesday.

While most transportation was shut down, Munich residents went to the park to enjoy the spectacular winter weather. Munich's Olympic Park, with its trademark Olympic Hill, is a popular destination for sledding or strolling through sheer endless fields. Some parents even teach their young children how to ski here.

Those who travel through Germany by train are used to delays. But the recent snowfall has been cause for more irritation than usual. Starting Saturday, a number of lines to and from Munich Central Station have been cancelled, and the disruptions are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. On its website, the German railway operator DB recommends postponing journeys to and from Munich.

Some of the snowy views are breathtaking. The heavy snowfall turned large stretches of southern and eastern Germany into picturesque winter landscapes like this one, in the rural district of Waldshut in Baden-Württemberg. Nearby, the Feldberg ski area is already open for business.